Hot Wheels Race Rewards exclusive cars, School Busted & Max-D

When you buy Hot Wheels cars as often as I do, it’s a good thing when you hear there is a new rewards program that gives you points that go towards earning exclusive cars. It’s even better when that program, Hot Wheels Race Rewards at Walmart, offers you cars out right in exchange for a review. I admit it’s sort of cheating but let me tell that I’ve certainly purchased enough Hot Wheels cars to warrant a freebie every now and then. Plus in my world, Hot Wheels cars are almost as a good as cash so when I was asked to review these cars it was a no-brainer.

The Hot Wheels Race Rewards program is pretty simple. All you need to do is go to Walmart’s special web page using your smartphone. You take a picture of your receipt and they give you the appropriate points. However, the best part is that you don’t need to download an app to play. I already have way too many apps on my phone so I was very happy to see this. You’ll get different points depending on what line of cars you buy, either basic mainlines or the Monster Jam line. But enough about that, let’s take a look at the free cars you can get with your rewards.

School Busted

Just in time for back-to-school, School Busted is the first collector car you can get for your Race Rewards points. School Busted is a retro school dolled up in hot pink with flames. I wasn’t sure about the hot pink at first but it’s grown on me and fits the attitude of the bus perfectly, as does the subtle little hood scoop on the front. It also has pink tinted windows but I think my favorite part is an oval cutout window in the back. It’s nothing special but it’s different.

This is an all-metal model and it’s a beast. Weighing in at 75g it’s a heavy truck that would be a great racer were it not for the Real Rider tires. Don’t get me wrong, the tires look awesome on this bus but we all know that the rubber wheels just don’t do well on the track. The body is also really low so as-is the bus would probably bottom out on any bump in the road. Let’s just say this bus isn’t doing any loops. But given the weight and solid build quality of School Busted, a little modding could make this thing big threat on a drag strip.

Monster Jam Max-D

The other car you can earn through the Race Rewards program is more than just a car, it’s a monster! This casting of the monster truck Maximum Destruction (or Max-D) is huge. It dwarfs other 1:64 mainline cars and I guess rightfully so since this thing should be crushing them. To be honest, I haven’t paid much attention to monster trucks since Big Foot was laying waste to cars almost 30 years ago, but I’m sure Max-D is right up there.

Even though this toy is big, there’s not much metal on it. The tiny body on top is diecast but the rest of it is plastic. The art on the sides is really detailed and appears to match the art of the real Max-D pretty closely, but the coolest thing about this Monster Jam line are the loose axles. Each axle sits in a slot and is free to move up and down as the truck rolls along, making the whole thing twist around like you’d see at a real monster truck rally. Of course, thanks to this wonderful feature, it’s not often that Max-D rolls in a straight line. As I see it, these monster trucks are made one purpose and one purpose only – the sandbox. I’m not really in the sandbox demographic anymore but these trucks are just asking to let loose in the dirt, running over buried mainline cars or plowing through puddles. And it goes without saying that Max-D isn’t made for your standard orange track, so don’t look for this guy to win any races soon.

Buy car, earn points, get free cars

I know I already have these two cars, thanks to Walmart, but I’ll most certainly be using the Hot Wheels Race Rewards program so I can earn the points and get more. I probably won’t choose the Max-D monster truck but I wouldn’t mind having a few more School Busted buses to play with and trick out for racing.

Right now the Max-D and School Busted are the only two cars you can get in exchange for the rewards points but I’d like to think that other cars will be offered as this program matures and gains traction with collectors and kids alike. It seems like every store and niche has a rewards program these days so I’m glad to finally see one that may actually give me something I can use in return. I like my free fuel points from my local grocery store but I like getting free Hot Wheels even more.

This is a sponsored review. All products were provided to Redline Derby Racing free of charge for the purposes of review.

Discussion

You can also get a 69 Camaro with a zamac body. The site is very buggy. You are suppose to use your smart phone to take a picture of your receipt and then send it in. That doesn't work. I had some success scanning it in with a computer and sending it to them. Even then, it was often refused and I had to send them an email. It is a hassle but they did give me extra points for all my troubles. I think I ordered two of the School Busted and 6 of the Camaros.